JohnH

Sad news - it seems that Chote Chitr restaurant in Bangkok (in operation by the same family for nearly 100 years) has permanently closed.

I passed by a few weeks ago and saw a sign in front in several different languages saying something to the effect of "Thank you all for your support."

The door was partially open and the dining room had been emptied of all the furniture.

I'm wondering if perhaps the owner became sick or passed away. I know they closed for a period of time last year due to illness in the family.

I will never forget their banana flower salad or panang curry

Kathie

I'm so sad to hear this. I loved the smokey eggplant salad and the banana flower salad and the mee krob...

Curt1591

Interesting. I wonder if their Western popularity did them in. From what I have read, for the type of shop, they were quite pricy by local standards.

rhkkmk

YEA!!!! i hated the place.... its the ny times fault

Kathie

Curt, you never ate there? It's been a few years since we last ate there as we had the bad luck of being there when they were closed the last two times we tries to eat there. I remember our first meal there we ordered 5 or 6 dishes and the bill was under $10.

Johnny Apple's review in 1995 or 1996 is what made westerners aware of Chote Chitr.

ekscrunchy

Thanks for letting us know. My lunch there was one of the best meals I've had in Asia.
They had been closed when I was there exactly a year ago; the reason was the illness of someone in the family...I was so disappointed! Glad for the memories of that smokey eggplant salad and everything else! Pricey by local standards, yes, but their overhead must have been miniscule.

susncrg

I loved it, too. Sorry it's closed and I guess I'll have to stop recommending it to people, so thanks for the info.

ekscrunchy

Sad as we are about this (not sure why the closing has been blamed on the NY Times, though!), my next question, directed at those who know the local eating scene well, is:

Where would you send aficionados of CC now that this eatery has closed????

Curt1591

Krua Apsorn has some mighty good food. There are two banches, one on Samsen, just north of the National Library, and one just south of Democracy Monument.

Do a search for Krua Apsorn. It has plenty of coverage. I recommend the crab omelet, curry crab, and any of the stir fried veggies. I don't care for their famous lotus shoots.

For facebook members:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=134892489894025

Curt1591

Another eatery that might fill the void could be Baan Phuengchom. They do a banana flower, along with such tasty dishes as woonsen with 3 smelly veggies and steamed beef with Mangda sauce. Both dishes are fantastic!

It's an easy walk from the Ari BTS platform. Google "Baan Phuengchom" for more info.

Kalil_Daoud

I was there in December (3 times) and Khun Tim did say that she was thinking about retirement in the next year or so ... see here: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...ndations.3001/

Kalil_Daoud

I just had my friend visit Chote Chitr to see if they closed for good and here's his report: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/...-2#post-256839

BTW, I am Kal (Kalboz) on the other board

Cheers!

Kathie

Thanks. I noted your review and food photos of Somtam. Looks enticing.

ekscrunchy

This is fantastic news! I hope to read updates in the near future.....many thanks for posting!

Curt1591

Interesting turn of events.

Curt1591

So, the future is now, ... any updates?

Kalil_Daoud

Went to Chote Chitr last Saturday (January 21st) and had two of their signature dishes (Meekrob & the grilled eggplant salad) which were sublime as usual. The owner, Khun Tim, was there and she looked happy and healthy. Some photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/with/6758675363/

Curt1591

I went there, a few months back, and it was far from anything special.

You don't even want to see my photos!

Kathie

Hi, Kalil, glad to hear you had two of our favorites dishes there. We were so busy during our short stay in Bangkok in Dec that we didn't get a chance to go. I hope we do manage to get back there before she retires.